The author’s introduction to the basic science of nuclear fusion is followed by a fascinating history of the attempts to harness that source of energy, from the 1930s to the early 2000s. The book describes the experiments in Britain under the direction of Peter Thonemann; the United States stellarator project led by Lyman Spritzer, Jr.; the tokamak reactor design of the Russians; the European International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER); and the development of a thermonuclear "hydrogen" bomb by the United States and Russia. The author integrates science, personalities, and politics into an engaging, accessible narrative.